India detains crew of US ship carrying weapons

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police on Monday questioned the crew of a U.S.-owned ship accused of illegally transporting weapons and ammunition in Indian waters.

Indian marine security police in the southeastern port of Tuticorin filed a complaint against the crew and 25 armed security guards aboard the MV Seaman Ohio after they failed to produce documents allowing them to carry the weapons, coast guard officials said.

Coast guard official Santosh Kumar Singh said the ship is owned by a Virginia-based security company, AdvanFort, but is registered in Sierra Leone.

Police said the ship's captain told investigators that AdvanFort provides armed escorts to merchant vessels traveling in pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean.